Cricket in Rio – and Brazil

In June, Carioca Cricket Club (C.C.C.) returned from the Brazilian National T20 Championships in Curitiba as Champions of Brazil! C.C.C. was only formed last September and entered the tournament for the first time in November 2011, finishing second out of 4. The June version of the tournament was played in grey, damp and cold conditions over the weekend of 8th, 9th and 10th of June at the delightful ground in HSBC’s sports and social complex on the outskirts of the Paraná capital. C.C.C.’s parsimonious bowling attack kept first São Paulo and then Brasília to meagre totals. which were comfortably chased down. The game against the hosts was rained off but the shared points were enough to see C.C.C. crowned champions, knocking SP off their top spot for the first time in 6 years.

In the meantime, the search for a home in Rio goes on as does the continual struggle to fund activities and spread the word about cricket. the club has recently begun playing at the São Fernando fazenda in Itaguaí – a polo ranch which has a good-sized paddock that could be perfect for playing cricket. Members have managed to create a rudimentary strip and played a few good games up there, in some cases putting on a traditional churrasco, organizing a bar and making each match into a family day out. The club is currently talking to the owner about how the pitch can be improved. The distance from Rio is a problem, but the setting is beautiful and the imminent arrival of a portable, synthetic playing surface should make it a great cricket ground.

Now that cricket has put down roots once more in the Cidade Maravilhosa, the ABC – the Associação Brasileira de Cricket – has asked Rio to host the next version of the National T20 Championships in November. CCC is currently investigating the feasibility of doing this at such an early stage of its development, but discussions with São Fernando and ABC are ongoing and, with the right resources, we are very confident we can put on a great tournament.

As you will see from the CCC website and the link below, the club was recently asked by TV Globo to offer technical assistance on a new novela that they are producing. Part of the backdrop is when cricket was being played in Rio so members of CCC went along a few times to the Globo Projac site to coach some of their actors on how to play the game. They all seemed to take to it really well, with actors such as Daniel Dalcin, Klebber Toledo and Rafael Cardoso thoroughly enjoying the game and the coaching they received from C.C.C. members Craig Allison and Robert Wallace.